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Destination Mexico
Explore
Mayan Ruins
By Ron Mader


Visit Mexico
Leave the Hard Rock behind: Just a two-hour drive from the Americana of Cancun, Mayan ruins pepper the Yucatan landscape. True, you're fighting the Cancun crowds (and the Mexico heat) to see them, but the stepped pyramids and crumbling sculptures transport you to a time that's about as far from the beach resorts as you can get. Most people hit Chichen Itza and Tulum, where reconstruction is stopping decay and giving better insight into Mayan daily life. Another site, Coba, serves up 80 square miles of ruins, five lakes, and the tallest pyramid on the peninsula. Take the climb — the top gives you a great span of jungle, and the tops of other ruins reach above the canopy. To lose the crowds, try the ruins at Muyil, a rarely visited site that's also a bird-watching haven.

Chichen Itza
Heads, you win: The ruins
at Chichen Itza are a must-see.

Trip Facts
Difficulty rating: Easy
 When to go: Year-round


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